Well done on getting through fri night JC. Hope the rest of the weekend went well for you.

And Dan.
It is very unfortunate you guys are in this trap at such a young age true, yeah you guys need to kick it now in the butt before you end up like a lot of us on here who have been struggling for many years!!!!

I started playing pokies at 18 and within months was hooked, 20 years have now past. I know age is only a number but I definitely feel like I wasted my prime years of being young and having a good time.

Dont waste your prime guys!! Keep postive and stay strong!! Kick this evil beast to the curb now!
You can do it ðŸ‘ðŸ‘Š

Dan P wrote:Your post hit close to home JC. It's unfortunate we are in this trap at such a young age. But we need to face the music, we are adults. I'm 24, also struggling to make ends meet because of this horrible habbit. I am going to do some serious reading on here tonight, hopefully it will motivate me to start the journey of recovery myself. Glad to chat.. any time

Yep, we are adults. I dont want to reach my 30's with nothing saved up. I see all my friends moving on in life, getting ahead, and I'm so far behind. I try not to think about this too much because I cant go back and change the past. 20's are those weird years where youre brain is still in teenage mode, grasping on to youth. But in reality we are adults and we all make choices. I just dont want tk go down that path anymore, because the way I was feeling from 2 years ago to about 2 months ago, wasnt very good - honestly there was no light at the end of the tunnel for me if I continued.

Plus I'm just exhausted from living a double life, having an addiction in secret. Being short of money and making ridiculous excuses to people around me as to why. I cant do that anymore. I just wana live and be free.

Good on ya for trying to make a change. Its extremely hard and takes more than just willpower.I come here to read posts and get motivation. Maybe I'll attend a gamblers anon meeting but Im not keen on how spiritual/religious based some of their meetings are. Sign up for the SMS support messages. I actually look forward to getting them. My only advice is to not be too hard on yourself for your past. Forgive yourself for what youve done.
Ive lost so much money over the years I hated myself for it. But there was no point in dwelling and being filled with self loathing. I'll never win that money back by gambling. Just look forward.

What if I never won my first bet?
What if I never opened up a sportsbet account?
What if I never gambled? Will I be more successful? In a higher paying job? Will I be in a relationship? Will I actually have decent savings account?

I hate thinking this way but sometimes I feel like Ive thrown away all these years.

Hi JC I read mine daily and put a star sticker on each day GF. My granddaughter has always called it "Little Book" and has loved finding all the stars. Now she is 7 and reading very well, I have to hide it from her until she can understand why Nanna has this book!!

Jc wrote:The hardest part about this addiction, is the life of â€˜what ifs?'

What if I never won my first bet?
What if I never opened up a sportsbet account?
What if I never gambled? Will I be more successful? In a higher paying job? Will I be in a relationship? Will I actually have decent savings account?

I hate thinking this way but sometimes I feel like Ive thrown away all these years.

Hi Jc

I have read all of your posts and it sounds like you're really trying to tackle your gambling.
From reading your posts, it looks like you have a lot of awareness of the issue and how it is impacting you.
Its normal that you may ask yourself these 'what if?' questions, however it's helpful to also look more forward and to possibly write down some goals you want to make for yourself and specific changes you want to make. For example, where do you see yourself in 5 years time? How do you want your life to look?

If you do have the urge to go and gamble or if you just need someone to talk to for some extra support, feel free to call us on 1800 858 858.

Made it through the weekend unscathed. I went on a few betting sites to finalise my self exclusions. Honestly it was hard, there was this little voice deep inside of me telling me to have one more bet before I self exclude. â€˜What's a $50 bet anyway?'. I did not cave.